10.

4 | ADDRESSING RESOURCE
DEPLETION AND ENVIRONMENTAL
DEGRADATION

Group 3
DIAMAODEN | ELLENA | GARCIA | GUINDULMAN | JUNIO
MANAYTAY | MENDOZA | NAHIAL | SAYMAN | ORGEL
10.4.1 ENVIRONMENT

LIFE CYCLE
10.4.1
ASSESSMENT

MEASURES OF
10.4.1
SUSTAINABILITY
 10.4.1
envIronment
Ecological Footprint
A simple and useful accounting tool to
estimate human demand on the
biosphere , and on the biosphere's
regenerative capacity and ability to
absorb waste
𝐷𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑
EF = 𝑌𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑
*

Where:
Demand = the annual demand for a product
Yield = the annual yield for that product

*Expression of Ecological Footprint in its most basic form

To calculate Ecological Footprint:

1 Divide the Earth into distinct

bioproductive land types

2 Determine how much of this

bioproductive land is used
• The amount a country produces

• The measure of production plus imports less exports;

generally understood to be the Ecological Footprint of an
entity
The EF of production for a country is the sum of the EFP for each land
use type, or:

The EFP for each land use type is given as:

Where:
P = the amount of a product produced
YN = the national average yield for P expressed in global hectares
YF = yield factor
EQF = equivalence factor

The Ecological Footprint of consumption EFC is calculated as:

Where:
EFC is the Ecological Footprint of consumption,
EFP is the Ecological Footprint of production
EFI and EFE are the Footprints of imported and exported
commodity flows respectively
 Calculating National Ecological
Footprint and Biocapacity

Global Footprint Network (Global Footprint Network, 2010)

 Maintains annual National Footprint Accounts that enable

nations to monitor demand for, and supply of their natural
capital, and to see when demand exceeds supply
Six assumptions are used in Ecological
Footprint accounting to determine how
much regenerative capacity is required to
maintain a given resource flow (Ewing,
2010.
Yield Factor
• Takes into account the fact that a Yield Factor for each land use type (excluding
given type of land has productive cropland):
potential that is based, for example, 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑌𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑
𝑌𝐹𝐿 =
on the climate, how it’s managed, 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑌𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑
and its topography
Equivalence Factor
• Converts the areas of different land
use types, at their respective world
average productivities, into their
equivalent areas at global average
bioproductivity across all land use
types
Cropland

Forest

Grazing Land

Fishing Grounds

Built-up Land
When calculating the Footprint of a grazing land, the value
of P, in this case is assumed to be pasture grass is:
Carbon Footprint
• A measure of the amount of CO2 released into the
atmosphere, naturally as well as anthropogenically

• The only land type dedicated to tracking waste products

 BC = A x EQF x YF
Where:

A = the area available for a given land

use type

EQF and YF are Equivalence and Yield

Factors, respectively
10.4.1.|Environmental Life Cycle Assessment

A cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-
cradle analysis technique to
assess environmental impacts
associated with all the stages
of a product's life, which is
from raw material extraction
through materials processing,
manufacture, distribution, and
use. (Sciencedirect.com)
10.4.1|Measures of Sustainability

The Gross National Product (GNP) and the Gross Domestic Product are the indicators of
economic output that are used by policy makers in monitoring the economic
performance and show the economic stability. They have become an indicators of well-
being in a country (e.g., a country with high GDPs are thought of as rich and well-off)
and a measures of sustainability, not just a measures of economic output. GDPs as a
measures of sustainability has a shortcomings. The pollution of environment and
resource degradation with an increased of consumption of non-renewable resources
are not considered. GDP in these case increases though the future growth is
jeopardized (these includes health). Another critical problem when we try to develop
these indicators of measurement. Well-being refers to present, while sustainability
refers to the future. Indicators are better express if living standards, sustainability and
welfare are an factors that capture environmental, social, and economic aspects in
which are not included in the standard GDP measure.
10.4.1|Measures of Sustainability

Proposed indicators are divided into the following three categories that will somewhat
replace GDP as a measure of progress. One, ADJUSTING. GDP is adjusted by including
monetized environmental and social factors. The difficulty here is coming up with a
monetary value for these factors. Two, REPLACING. Use indicators that try to assess
well-being more directly than GDP. Three, SUPPLEMENTING. Complement GDP with
additional social and environment information. A series of indicators are gathered
together with the aim of providing a comprehensive, yet manageable, indication of
sustainable socio-economic progress.

The essentiality of a multi-dimensional indicators is needed in order to achieve a

sustainable development, human wealth, and well-being. The success of GDP as a
measure is simple, but in terms of sustainability or even well being, it is seen as
inadequate.
Sources

https://www.footprintnetwork.org/content/imag
es/uploads/National_Footprint_Accounts_Metho
d_Paper_2010.pdf

Mines, R.O. & Lackey,L.W. ( 2009). Introduction to

Environmental Engineering. Chapter 7, pp. 154-
156